* you can elect to pay $200 deposit to hold the bike of your choice at the
store
closest to you (Melbourne ONLY).
After checkout, you will be contacted by phone or email by our
staff to discuss pick up options.
Please note that bikes can not be shipped - you must come in to a Melbourne store to pick up
the
bike
ordered. Balance is payable on pickup.
We do not guarantee stock availability.

XDS Venture 1.0

The Venture 1.0 is the best sports hybrid that XDS manufacture. XDS’ Venture 1.0 is perfect for the cycling enthusiast; the rider who is constantly seeking rail trails, bike paths and more importantly – adventure.

XDS is not a brand you would have heard of. Ever. They are one of the biggest OEM manufacturers in the world; together with Giant and Merida. Where the other two are massive manufacturers that promote to retail customers; XDS manufacture about 6 million bikes every year to business customers or distributors around the world. Because XDS manufacture their own frames – steel, aluminium and carbon – they tend to produce a better quality product for a similar price point.

So back to the Venture. The first thing that strikes you is the finish of the frame. For the nerds out there, the Venture 1.0 frame is triple-butted. The frame uses 3 different wall thicknesses to minimise material excess and increase strength; because XDS’ engineers use materials intelligently within the frame. Most other brands tend to use a single butted frame – one wall thickness – because it’s cheaper to manufacture, but heavier. The Venture 1.0 frame also applies some very high-end frame finishes such as smooth weld finishes and internal cable routing. I touched on stiffness before. This aspect of an aluminium frame is important because it improves the Venture’s pedalling efficiency – you go faster, with less effort. Specifically, stiffness in the bottom bracket is critical and this is where triple butting excels.

The Venture 1.0 is perfectly suited to the experienced rider or the consumer wanting premium components. A Shimano 30-speed touring group set is used on the Venture 1.0 and the quality of each individual hardware component is at the premium end. Everything is Shimano too – not a mismatch. Most of the components are from the Shimano Deore family and the rear derailleur is from the smooth shifting Deore XT group – second from the top. 30 gears mean plenty of range to choose from; from flats to some serious gradients.

Shimano hydraulic disc brakes have always been the benchmark when it comes to performance and reliability. Compared to Shimano base level hydraulics, these ones have a 30% boost in stopping power and slightly different lever and caliper design.

Kenda Small Block 8 tyres are 40mm wide and mounted onto wide rims. Further, the tyres also use a dual-compound rubber – hard in the centre for a smooth and easy roll, and soft on the shoulders for better cornering grip. Mounted to wider rims (which we will see much more of in the future), the tyre can also hold more air volume compared to one mounted on a narrow rim. When riding on unsealed surfaces, this smooths the ride out and less effort is required to hold speed. At the same time more traction is delivered, preventing any loss of traction.

To help reduce weight further, the Suntour air fork is made from a combination of aluminium and magnesium. Its 63mm travel is controlled by an air damper; so we adjust the fork’s pressure depending on the weight of the rider, this gives you a far suppler and smooth feel, compared to that of a coil fork. A carbon seat post also reduces weight and its slim 27.2mm diameter allows it to flex and absorb high-frequency vibrations.

XDS offer a Lifetime Frame warranty on the frame, Shimano have 2 years and 1 year on all else.

Ivanhoe Cycles provides the widest range of Giant and other bikes for sale in Australia.
In
addition to the bikes we also stock bicycle clothing, bike parts, accessories for bike
riders and plenty of free advice for the Melbourne cycling community.